AKA The Little Girl
by HallowedCaptain
Summary: After season 2, Jessica's alone again. Drunk and alone as per the usual. On her way home, she finds someone unexpected. A little girl without a name or a place. Cold, alone, and in the rain. Jessica takes her in to warm her up, how hard could find a little girl's parents be for a professional P.I.? Rated T for language rn, possibly going to M. Title Image credit to diogo torres.


Muddy. Her black boots were spattered with the filth. Her feet made a sickening sloshing sound as she tramped through the puddled and soaked sidewalk. Hell's Kitchen looked about as good as she felt right now. As she'd been feeling for a week or two, she supposed. She was alone again, but not totally alone. She had Oscar now and she liked that.

Oscar was, in a word, complicated. Her analytical mind weighed the pros and cons. Good guy, pro. Loyal and passionate, pro. Hot guy, pro. Great sex, definite pro. Single dad, con. LiGemes with his mom, con. Cheap alcohol, nothing new. As she thought about it, maybe being a single dad wasn't so bad. She didn't dislike Gemido. In fact she found the little boy's wit and humor to be amusing and reflective of her own.

What she didn't like was the strings. The constancy of being tied to someone. Someone who could hurt her, leave her yet again, or, worst of all, used against her. Speaking of Oscar, she really didn't want to run into him on the way to her room. It was not a day for that. It hadn't been a day for that all week. So instead of entering the front of the building, she went into the alley behind the building. The alley way was even less drained of the rain then the sidewalk. Sighing, and knowing that a warm pair of socks and full bottle of whiskey would be home to greet her, Jessica splashed straight through the ankle deep puddle in front of her.

 _Splish. Sploosh. Splash._ "Uuuhnnahh!" After her third step, a loud whine of distress filled her ears.

"Jesus fuck, what wa-" She looked down to the source of the sound. A little girl huddled in the fetal position in between the dumpster and the cold brick wall of the adjacent building. Jessica's stomp had splashed her, fairly heaGemily, with water. The girl was whimpering now and shivering terribly.

Jessica knelt down, "Hey. Kid. I'm sorry about that. Are you okay?"

The little girl shook her head. Jessica looked at her a little closer. She was covered in dirt and grime. She could see pale skin stained with mud and, with the rain, was now running down over her arms and legs. Her hair was matted and full of knots. Jessica guessed that her hair might haGeme been black at one point. The little girl's brown eyes fixed themselves on Jessica. Jessica looked away. She wanted to go home. She wanted to be done. She sighed.

"Alright, kiddo." Her voice was dry and cynical, "Let's get you dry at least."

The little girl stood and backed herself fearfully against the wall. Jessica took a note of a few more details about the girl. The first is that she now realized her hair was clumped and tangled around something that was nestled beneath. Next, this girl was much younger than she had thought. She might've been three or four years old. And third, the little girl held a soaked and muddy blanket. She clutched it close to her chest.

Jessica's hair was now wet and falling over her eyes. She brushed a strand out of her eyes. The rain had plastered it to her forehead. She was cold, way too sober, and annoyed. But that version of Jessica wouldn't get this girl to trust her. She took a deep breath and used the acting skill she constantly had a need for on the job.

"Don't worry little one." She whispered gently, "I'm here to help. I'm going to get you somewhere warm. I promise."

Jessica did her best to put on a gentle mothering smile. It wasn't really her style, but she was good enough at acting. The girl took a step towards her. Tentatively, but it was progress. Jessica took off her leather jacket, which had actually been repelling the water really well. She slowly put it over the little one's shoulders.

"What's your name?" Another forced smile.

Jessica began to slowly pull the girl towards her chest. Slow enough that she wouldn't startle her. The little girl stayed quiet. When Jessica had pulled her all the way in, the little girl through her arms over Jessica's shoulders. Maybe it was a hug, maybe it was just relief. The little girl pressed herself into Jessica, and she had kept the sopped blanket between them. Jessica groaned as the water from the oversaturated cloth bled into her shirt and chilled her to the bone. She picked the girl up as easy as if she weighed nothing.

"Okay, now hold on really tight and close your eyes." Jessica said as she walked them right underneath the fire escape. She pulled the jacket over her head just to make sure she didn't freak out. Then Jessica crouched down and sprung upward. She landed with a thud outside of her own window. She looked down to check on the little girl. Her eyes were closed and she still held tightly, seemingly fine. Jessica breathed a sigh of relief and reached one hand to unlatch the window.

Climbing through was a bit tricky, but it was a large window and ultimately not too hard. She considered calling the police as soon as she got in, but figured it could wait a minute. After all, they'd take her in as is and she'd have to spend at least the next couple hours still cold and getting handed from person to person. Jessica carried her over to the kitchen and pulled out a dish towel. She laid it down for the little girl to sit on.

"So… you think you can tell me your name now?" Jessica tried again. "I'm Jessica."

The little girl looked up at her, opened her mouth, and then started a fit of coughing.

"Okay, okay. I hear ya. Do you want to get washed up?" Jessica pointed at the bathroom.

The little girl stared blankly back at her. Jessica phrased it differently, "You know.. Take shower, rub some soap, scrub-a-dub-dub?" That sounded awkward and a little creepy. The little girl said nothing.

"How about this: I'll run some warm water, we'll get you cleaned up and dry and then we can eat something." Her eyes lit up with the mention of food.

"Oh? I can find a snack. I think I have some…"

"Chocolate." The little girl said.

Jessica chuckled sarcastically, "I'll see what I can find."

Jessica did indeed find something. It was an old, probably very expired, box of brownie mix. It would have to do. In a couple minutes, she had mixed the batter together with all of the liquid ingredients. She placed some of it in a bowl and threw a spoon in it.

"Here, how's this?"

The little girl took it greedily and began wolfing into it. "I'll take that as a good then."

Jessica started the water running in her bathtub. As she plugged the drain and tested the water, she had a minor painful flashback to the other recent use of this tub. She didn't have any bubble bath, just her nondescript shampoo, but she did her best. Soon enough the tub was filled with a surface layer of bubbles and warm water.

She came back into the kitchen to find the little girl licking the last of the brownie mix off of her spoon.

"Okay, are you ready?" Jessica asked.

The little girl, "For a bubble bath?" Only bubble sounded more like _bwubble._

"Sure." She said flatly.

The little girl seemed unconvinced and scooted away when Jessica reached for her.

"Come here!" She crawled across to the other side of the counter leaving a trail of mud in her wake. "Ugh! You little twat!" Jessica held some harsher language and lunged for her.

The little girl squeaked in fear and jumped off the counter. She ran into the main room behind Jessica's desk, mud trailing the floor. Jessica groaned. She needed a new strategy.

"Umm… hey, I… got some like… suckers over here." Jessica made her voice significantly sweeter, at least to her. To anyone else it would've sounded unnatural syrupy sweet and creepy. As Jessica rounded the desk, the little girl took off again. This time she ran around the wall and hid behind the open walling that Malcolm had recently finished.

"Please come here." Jessica resorted to begging. No response.

She sat down with a huff, back against the otherside of the wall. She spread her legs out and leaned into it.

"Ya know kid, I'm just trying to help you." Nothing

"The water's going to get cold. I just want to help you. We're going to find your parents once you are cleaned up and fed." Jessica smirked. She was reasoning with a toddler.

"I want a bwubble bath." She insisted.

"Then a bubble bath it is!" Jessica said it with enthusiasm this time, in addition to a little wryness.

The little girl's voice came over the wall again, "Are there toys?"

Jessica narrowed her eyebrows thinking, and then responded with excited energy, "Only if you are clever enough to imagine them!"

"C _w_ ever?" She asked?

"Really, really smart!" Jessica affirmed, "Are you really really smart enough?"

"I am!" She said defiantly and marched out from behind the wall.

"Good, good. Then you'll get in the bubble bath?" Jessica asked.

"Yeah." She said. The little girl was standing a little wobbly on her legs. She had stopped dripping mud at least.

"Okay! Go ahead and go do your thing." Jessica walked her over to the bathroom, nudging her forward when she started hesitantly stepping.

"I can't" The little girl stopped in the doorway.

"What do you mean, you can't?" Jessica said, "Is something wrong?"

"I need help." She said.

Jessica's eyes widened, "Oh no. No, no, no, no, no, no… no. No."

"Pwease" The little girl drew the word out in a whine.

"I am not a babysitter. I'm just keeping you warm and safe for a little while. You can wash yourself." Jessica declared.

The little girl's lip began to quiver and she started to blubber.

"Oh… not again. Please don't cry. Please?" Jessica was begging more today than she ever had in her entire life.

The little girl began to wail.

"Okay! I'll help you." Jessica blurted. The crying stopped abruptly.

The little girl hugged her leg. It sent a discomforting shiver upn Jessica's spine as the wet fabric of her jeans pressed against her skin.

"Alright, well, if we're gonna get up close and personal, can you tell me your name?" She asked.

"Aunty Tati (said like Tah-tee) calls me Gem. Cause I'm small and pretty." She said.

"But Gem isn't your name, right?" Jessica said.

"I don't th _w_ ink so." She answered vaguely.

"So what's your _name?_ " Jessica tried again.

"Not Gem." She confirmed.

Jessica had to look up at the ceiling and take a deep breath. Through gritted teeth she measured out, "Yes, I got that. What's your name? You know… first, middle, last. Maybe a home address or phone number. A way to find Aunt Tati?"

Gem looked up, "I don't know. Aunt Tati said she would be _w_ ight back. But then she wasn't. Then you were. Why didn't she come _w_ ight back?"

Jessica's heart panged. There was a time and a place for this necessary information, but not now. She looked down at the knotted hair and grimey face of the the little girl.

"Come on, bath time!" Quickly, and wisely, switching the dynamic, Jessica scooped her up and flew her over to the side of the tub.

In a minute, she was in the tub and covered in suds. She was making motorboating noises and zooming her hands through the water. Gem was having a great time. Jessica had gone and gotten multiple washcloths to start helping her wash. When Jessica knelt at the side of the tub and went to grab a strand of her hair, Gem stopped and looked at her.

"Aunt Tati would play in the b _w_ ubbles with me." She insisted.

Jessica rolled her eyes, "This bathtub is not big enough for both of us."

"I can squish." She compromised.

"I'm not getting in this bathtub." Jessica growled.

Gem sunk lower in the tub until the water was just under her nose. She jerked her head every time Jessica tried to grab her hair.

"Fine. If you don't want my help Gem, I'm leaving." Jessica got up to walk away.

Instant caterwauling erupted behind her.

Jessica turned on her heels, "Okay! Okay, just no crying. I'm getting in." She took off her shirt., "See?!"

Gem stopped wailing, "Yayyy!"

"Don't be too proud of yourself." She stepped herself out of her jeans.

Jessica took a step into the tub. The water was still pleasantly warm to the touch. The water had also become rather murky due to the amount of dirt had come off of them. However, Jessica was used to much worse things than mud and so she crouched down into the tub. And realized that she was correct in the fact that they would not both fit in this tub properly. Jessica lifted Gem up and placed her on her lap. Gem seemed delighted by this and happily sat still while Jessica began meticulously brushing the knots and washing the mud from her hair. She washed it with care, strand by strand. She found something therapeutic about it, and the giggling little girl made her smile.

As she sifted through the tangled mess, Jessica found something that she couldn't believe she had missed before. It was a small, shining, purple present bow. It had been well hidden and taped in. Gem whimpered when Jessica pulled it out.

"Ow!" She squealed.

"I'm sorry kiddo, rough knot. Are you okay?" Jessica asked, only mildly concerned due to the distraction.

"Yeah." She went back to blowing bubbles and racing her hands through the water.

Jessica took a closer look at the ribbon. She found that it was attached to a small, rolled up, plastic bag. It crinkled as she unscrunched it.

"Watchya looking at? You stopped p _w_ aying wi _ff_ my hair." Gem's curiousity was peaked.

"Just a second gem." Jessica pulled out the contents of the bag. A now-wrinkled and folded piece of paper. She began to read the writing. It was cursive and neat, as if the wording was written thoughtfully and slowly.

 _Dear Jessica Jones,_

 _My love, if you are reading this, then I have been unsuccessful at this point of reclaiming your affection. I do not know what has befallen me. I left this little girl in the hands of a garbage woman, Tatiana Ramshack. She has raised four children on her own, I figured a fifth would be no challenge. She was left with the instructions that if I do not explicitly come back to reclaim the child, her name is Amethyst by the way, in three years she was to be left by the dumpster outside of your building on her route. If you are reading this, those instructions were followed. You're probably wondering what this is about, who Amethyst is. She's the lasting result of our love. I wanted to go get her together when we were finally reunited and truly in love as a solidifier of our feelings. But it appears that has not come to pass and a girl needs her mother. So, when you see her think of me. When you care for her, you care for me. When you love her, you love me._

 _Forever in love,_

 _Kilgrave._

Jessica almost threw up. How?! HOW? How could he, two years after his death, still be fucking with her. She wanted to scream. She wanted to cry. She wanted to run and hide.

Jessica through the note across the room in a panic. Gem looked up alarmed. "What's wrong?"

Jessica steeled herself as the horrid realization crept over her. She tried to soothe the now startled little girl, stroking her hair and whispering words of comfort. "It's okay…" But she was at a lack of something to say. In fact, she was now mesmerized by the newly cleansed Gem, or rather Amethyst. She had very pale skin and jet black hair. Her eyes, however, were a striking, joyful, familiar, violet color. Kilgrave's favorite color. It made Jessica sick.

It wasn't the little one's fault, Jessica knew that. She thought that. She kept thinking that. But what was she going to do?


End file.
